This invention relates to conveying rod-like articles around a curved path. The invention is particularly useful in the tobacco industry, where it is often required to move a stream of cigarettes or cigarette filter rods in multi-layer stack formation between different processing machines.
It is known to move a substantially horizontal stream of rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation around a relatively small radius curve by use of an inclined or banked conveying surface supporting the stream on the curve. UK Patent Specification No. 2007964 discloses an arrangement of this type. The arrangement may be usefully employed for tip turning of filter cigarettes.
In a known type of tip turning arrangement, similar to that used in Molins PA10 Filter Cigarette Assembling Machine, parallel streams of filter cigarettes in multi-layer stack formation emerge from the assembling machine and one stream in turned through 180.degree. by means of a rotatable disc or turntable so that the streams may be subsequently combined at a T-junction. Reference is directed to UK Patent Specification No. 2079132 for details of such a system.
The present invention is particularly but not exclusively applicable to apparatus for conveying filter cigarettes around a relatively small radius curve at the output end of a filter cigarette assembling machine and, more generally, to apparatus for conveying rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation around a curved path. In some circumstances in such apparatus, particularly where the path extends in a generally horizontal plane with the stream supported from below, it has been found that some of the articles, particularly those articles not completely surrounded by other articles, e.g. those at the top of the stream, can become misaligned and, if not removed or aligned, can cause or require stopping of the machine or a downstream apparatus or even cause damage to the machine or downstream apparatus. An object of the invention is to provide additional control for rod-like articles passing around a curved path.
According to one aspect of the invention apparatus for conveying